Automatic grade-crossing block



June 5, 1923.

. L. GRIFFIN AUTOMATIC GRADE CROSSING BLOCK Fiied Sent. 16. 1922 2 eets$heet 1 WITNESSES ATTORNEY June 5, 1923.

1,458,051 w. L. GRIFFIN AUTOMATIC GRADE CROSSING BLOCK Filed Sept. 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSE ATTORNEY Patented dune 5, 192-3.

WILLIAM LEE- GRIFFIH, 03? DALLAS, NOR-TH CAROLINA.

AUTOMATIC GEADE-CRQSSING, BLOCK.

Application. filed September 16, 1922. Serial No. 588,672.

T at whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I. "Wrtnrnir Lnn Gerrrm. a citizen of the United States, residing; at Dallas. in the county of Gaston and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic GradeCrossing blocks,v of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad cross ing gate, the general object of the inven tion being to provide means whereby the train approachingthe crossing will lower the gate and will operate means to raise the gate after it passes the crossing.

Another object of the invention is to provide fluid actuated means for moving the gate.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of they several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which z- .Figure 1 is a plan view showing a por tion of a railroad track and a crossing with my invention in use.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is a section. on line 33 of lli ure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line l4c of Figure 1. 1

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the trip operated catch and its shaft and segmental gear. 7

Figures 6 and 7 are views showing the means for holding the parts retracted, figure 6 showing the means at the front end of the trip rod 32 and Figure 7 shows the means at the rear end of such rod.

Figure 8 is a detail view ofthe means for ringing a hell by the movement of the gate.

In these views A. indicates the track and E the crossing. Each gate 1 is carried by a post 2, the gate being provided with a counter weight 3 as usual. A cylinder 4 is placed adjacent the gate, said cylinder having a piston 5 therein, the rod 6 of which being connected by a universal joint 7 with a cranked rod 8 which is connected with the rear end of the gate. A spring seat 9 is carried by the piston rod and a spring 10 is placed. on the seat. lhe forked end of rod 11 engages the upper end. of the s iiring and the lower end of the rod is connected by the univ rsal joint 12 with a bell crank 14- which is pivoted at 15 to the base 16. One arm of the bell crank carries an adjusting bolt 17 which is adapted to be engaged by the push rod 18 which is eccentrically connected to a disc 19 carried by the shaft 20 which is journaled to one of the ties of the track. llhis shaft carries the segmental gears 21 which are ada ted to be engaged by the spring trip 22 wiich is carried by apart of. the train; A 'cylin' der 23 is placed at each side of the cross ing an appreciable distance therefrom and each cylinder 23 is connected with the cylinder d'by means of the pipes 2% which contain the valves 25. The cylinder 23 contains a piston 26 which is normally held in its forward position by a spring 27 within the cylinder. A catch 28 is connected with the piston and this catch is adapted to engage. a catch 29 on a stub shaft 30 which is suitably journaled to a part of the track, the catches when in engagement acting to hold the piston in retracted position. Asegmental gear 31 is attached to the shaft 30 andthis gear isadapted to be engaged by the trip 22 on the train so as to release the catches to permit the springs 27 to force the piston 26 forwardly. lhe parts are retracted by means of the springcontrolled trip rods 32 suitab y supported by parts of the track, each of said rods carrying a latch 33 for engaging a keeper 34 on the shaft 20 to hold the same in the position to which it is moved by the trip 22 on the train, the other end of the rod having a slot 35 therein which is engaged by a projection 36 on the rod 37 which connects the piston 26 with the catch 28.

The cylinders are to contain a supply of oil or the like, the major part of the oil being drawn into the cylinder 23 when the piston 26 is retracted. When a train approaches a crossing the trip 22 engaging the segmental gear 31 will release the catches, thus permitting the spring 27 to force the piston 26 forwardly so as to force the oil in the cylinder 23 through the pipe 24: into the cylinder 4. Thus the piston 5 in the cylinder e will be raised and this movement of the pistons will be transmitted to the gate so as to lower'the same. As a train passes over the crossing the trip .22 will engage one of the segmental gears 21 on the shaft 20 so as to rockthe shaft and thus cause the push rod 18 to engage the bell crank which will act to pull the forked rod 11 downwardly, thus contracting the spring and thus causing the piston 5 to force the oil in cylinder 4 back into the cylinder 23. This oil will force the piston 26 irearwardly and thus place the catches 28 and 29 intoengagei'nent again. Near the end of this movement the projection 36 will engage the rear wall of the'slot 35 thus moving the rod 82 to cause its latch-33 to disengage the keeper 34 and thus permit the spring 10 to return the parts to normal position. Thus the gate will be opened and closed automatically by the train. i

I may also provide an alarm which consists of a bell 40 on the gate post, the hammer' ll of which being actuated by a rack bar 42 which is connected with the grate so that as the gate. is moving upwardly and downwardly the hammer will be actuated to strike the bell.

It is thought from, the foregoing descriptio'nthat the advantages and novel features in connected with the barrier, a cylinder placed at each side of the crossing, pipes connecting the cylinders together, said cylinders containing a fluid, a piston in each of the other cylinders, a spring for forcing each of said pistons forwardly, latch means for holding the pistons in retracted position,

means on the train for releasing); the latch 7 means so asto permit the springs to force the pistons forwardly and thus expel the oil from the track cylinder into the gate cyl- 'inder and means located adjacent the crossing and actuated by the train for returning the parts to normal position. V

2. In coi'nhination with a barrier for a railroad crossing, a cylinder, a piston there-- in. connected with the barrier, a cylinder placed at each side of the crossing, pipes connecting the cylinders together, said cylinders containing a fluid, a piston in each of the other cylinders, a spring for forcing each of said pistons forwardly, latch means for holding the pistons in retracted position, means on the train for releasing; the latch meansso as to permit the springs to force the pistons forwardly and thus expel the oil from the track cylinder into the gate cylinder, means located adjacent the crossing,

and actuated by the train for returning the parts to normal position, such means consistinp; of a spring for returning the piston of the gate operating cylinder to its lowered position, and train'operated means for applyinq pressure to the spring.

3. In combination with a barrier for a,

railroad crossing, a cylinder containing fluid, a piston therein connected w th the barrier, a track cylinder, pipes co'nnectlng the cylinders together, a spring pressed piston in the trackcylinderQlatch means for holding' the piston in retracted position, means on the train for releasing the latch means, a spring associated with the barrier piston for lowering the same when the spring is compressed, a compression mem her for the spring, a shaft locatedadiacent the crossingand adapted to berocked hy the passage of a train, a push bar actuated by the shaft for causing the compression mem her to compress the spring, trip means for holding the shaft inthe position to which it has been moved by the train and means associated with the track cylinder for releas ing the trip means.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature;

WILLIAM LEE GRIFFIN. 

